Rarity's Boutique
by bluethunder25
Summary: A collection of stories with the fair-furred fashionista herself, Rarity.
1. A Sassy Touch Part 1

It was a marvelous day at Canterlot Carousel as the ponies of Canterlot browsed through the many dresses made by none other then Rarity herself, who decided to take a visit to see how the boutique was doing. She watched with great pride as Sassy Saddles sold a number of her designs.

One by one, the ponies rapidly checked out their picks at the counter where Sassy rang them up and packed the dresses into boxes.

"Whew! Blistering Buttons! I must say, this is one of the busiest days we've ever had," Sassy said, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Well, you've done a marvelous job with the boutique, I couldn't have asked for a better pony to run it," Rarity said with pride.

Before they left, the ponies, noticing Rarity, made sure to talk to her.

"Rarity, these dresses are so divine!" said one pony.

"How do you do it?" asked another pony.

"Well, it's nothing really, I just follow a simple set of guidelines called, The Rules of Rarity; TLC; Time, Love, and Couture," said Rarity.

Sassy watched as the ponies showered Rarity with admiration. She was happy for her boss, but she also had a feeling of sadness. But she made sure to put on a happy face when Rarity turned to her.

* * *

The next day, Rarity decided to take an early visit to the boutique a couple of hours before opening, just to see if she could make some last minute additions before heading back to Ponyville. Suddenly, she noticed a figure heading towards the boutique, it was none other than Sassy, and she was moving rather sneakily into the boutique.

"What in Celestia's name could she be up to?" Rarity asked before she silently followed behind Sassy.

Inside, Sassy made her way to the backroom with Rarity unknowingly behind and quickly shut the door.

Rarity crept in and, upon hearing Sassy's voice coming from the other side, put her ear to the door to listen in.

"Oh, what's the use?! Curses and corsets! What's the point of going on?! Perhaps it is time for me to end it all," Sassy said.

Rarity gasped at the words of Sassy and assumed the worst. As a result, she bucked the door open. "Sassy!" she shouted.

Sassy turned in shock at the sight of Rarity. "Rarity?! Um...what are YOU doing here so early?" she said.

"That's precisely the question I have posed for you," Rarity responded, before suddenly noticing Sassy was hiding something behind her back.

"Oh, I was just um...getting the dry cleaning done for the dresses," Sassy lied nervously.

"Dry cleaning, hmmm?" Rarity asked suspiciously, even though she could automatically tell she was lying.

Realizing, Sassy was hiding something, she used the trick her sister had tried on her and flicked Sassy's horn, blocking her magic and grabbed what she was hiding. After getting a thorough view of the item, Rarity cringed upon realizing that it was a picture of a rather unappealing dress.

"I guess you got me," Sassy said with a sigh.

"Is this...a dress? It looks like a dress, but I'm not entirely sure," said Rarity.

"It's terrible! I know!" Sassy snapped as she took the picture from Rarity with her magic, crumpled it up, and threw it in the trash.

Rarity saw there were quite of a number of less than aesthetically pleasing designs that Sassy had thrown away. "These are all yours?" she asked.

Sassy sighed in embarrassment. "Yes. The truth is I've always wanted to make my own designs for a boutique. Unfortunately, my previous 'success' prevented me from doing so. Not to mention I can't make a good design to save my life," she said.

"Well I will admit these are...ummm...less than desirable..." said Rarity.

"I just don't have that element that you have," Sassy said.

"Maybe what you need is a little inspiration and if there's any place to find it, it would be Canterlot," said Rarity.

* * *

After closing up the boutique, Rarity and Sassy began their search for inspiration.

"So, where should we go looking first?" asked Sassy.

"Oh pfftatfta, darling, you don't find inspiration, inspiration finds you. You just have to go with the flow," said Rarity.

"Go with the flow? I suppose that could work," said Sassy.

"So, what do you want to do first?" asked Rarity.

"Well, I am a bit famished," said Sassy.

"Ah, well lucky for you, I know the perfect place," said Rarity.

Sassy and Rarity arrived at the Tasty Treat. Sassy was reluctant to go in seeing as how it didn't have any hoofs, but Rarity assured her the food was good despite it and encouraged her to go in.

Inside, Sassy was rather impressed by the décor and she and Rarity took their seats where they were greeting by Saffron Masala and Coriander Cumin.

"Rarity! So good to see you again!" Saffron exclaimed.

"Yes, and who is your friend?" asked Coriander.

"This is Sassy Saddles," said Rarity.

"Oh, well welcome to the Tasty Treat. My name is Saffron Masala, the head chef, and this is my father, Coriander Cumin," said Saffron.

"I must say, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Coriander said as he grabbed one of Sassy's hoofs and kissed it.

"Father, what did we say about flirting with the guests?" Saffron said.

Coriander blushed in embarrassment before tending to the other guests.

"He seems charming," Sassy said with a giggle.

"You'll have to forgive him. He can't help himself sometimes," said Saffron.

Sassy and Rarity ordered their food and Saffron hurried into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Coriander brought everyone to his attention.

"Ponies! Tonight, the Tasty Treat would like to present to you our entertainment for this evening," Coriander said.

A group of ponies stood on a small stage in the restaurant and performed an Indian-like dance for the guests.

Meanwhile, Saffron returned with Sassy and Rarity's food. "Here you are, friends. Enjoy," she said.

Sassy was a little hesitant at first, but upon seeing Rarity enjoying the food, she gave it more thought.

"Come on, don't be shy. Try it, darling," said Rarity.

Acquiescing to Rarity's request, Sassy took some of the food, tried it, and to her surprise, she liked it.

"Mmmm, this is delightful," said Sassy.

"Told you," Rarity sang.

The two giggled as Coriander danced with the other ponies. Coriander then walked over to them, specifically to Sassy.

"Ohoho, you giggle, but can you yourself dance?" Coriander said, extending his hoof to Sassy who turned to Rarity with uncertainty.

"Go on, it won't hurt," said Rarity.

Sassy slowly took Coriander's hoof and he took her to the center of the restaurant. She tried to follow Coriander's movements, but lost her balance a few times.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Coriander said teasingly, catching Sassy as she fell.

Sassy blushed as Coriander picked her up and took her through the steps on at a time. Eventually, she found the dance a lot easier and was thoroughly enjoying herself. "Oh my, this is fun!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't know your friend was such a good dancer," Saffron said to Rarity as she came out of the kitchen.

"Neither did I," said Rarity.

Sassy and Coriander danced together until the Tasty Treat closed.


	2. A Sassy Touch Part 2

The Tasty Treat closed for the night and Rarity and Sassy bid Saffron and Coriander farewell.

"Thank you for a marvelous evening! Especially, you, Coriander," Sassy said with a wink.

"Tata," said Rarity before she and Sassy walked off.

"Did you see her wink at me?! I think she likes me," said Coriander.

Saffron just sighed and rolled her eyes before heading back into the restaurant.

* * *

Rarity and Sassy continued walking.

"Well I have to admit that was pretty fun and the food was excellent even if it didn't have any hoofs," said Sassy.

"Well you can't base your opinions on what some stick-in-the-mud unicorn thinks," said Rarity.

"Well I'm glad you brought me there. I definitely feel inspired! However, I would like to see more of Canterlot though," said Sassy.

"Hmph, sooner said than done, darling. We'll continue first thing in the morning," said Rarity.

The next morning, the two decided to go shopping in the finest shops in Canterlot. First, they tried on virtually every dress within eyes reach in the other boutiques. Then, they observed the most beautiful diamonds and jewels that Canterlot had to offer.

After a couple hours of shopping and browsing, the two came out more than satisfied.

"So, what did you think?" asked Rarity.

"Everything was marvelous! But even though we've tackled just about everywhere there is to go in Canterlot, I don't think I have enough inspiration," said Sassy.

"Hmm, well maybe it's time to broaden our horizons," said Rarity.

* * *

After taking the train, Rarity and Sassy arrived in Ponyville where Rarity hoped Sassy would find some new inspiration.

"So this is Ponyville?" Sassy observed.

"Oh, yes, this is your first time visiting Ponyville, isn't it? Well, let me assure you, Ponyville is the friendliest place in all of Equestria," said Rarity.

Just then, Applejack walked by carrying a cart full of apples, when she passed Rarity and Sassy. "Howdy, ya'll," she said.

"How-dee? What does that mean?" asked Sassy.

"Oh. It means 'hello,'" said Rarity.

"Hey, aren't you that Sassy Saddles character?" asked Applejack.

"Yes, Rarity was just showing me around town," said Sassy.

"Say, Applejack, would it be alright if I showed Sassy Saddles, Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Rarity.

"Uh..yeah, I guess," said Applejack.

Rarity turned to Sassy. "I'm sure you would be able to find something inspiring there," she said.

"You might be right. Plus, I have always wondered how the 'farm life' lives," said Sassy.

"Farm life?" Applejack asked defensively. "Yep, that's pretty much us."

Sassy breathed a sigh of relief before the three headed off.

* * *

Sassy was intrigued at the sight of Sweet Apple Acres as she had never seen a farm up close and personal before.

"Silks and sequins! So this is a...barn...I like how the red complements the white. And those apple trees, the green meshes well with the red," said Sassy.

"Um...thanks," said Applejack.

Sassy went inside the barn to look around. "What is this yellow...papery stuff?" she asked, turning to Applejack.

"That's hay," Applejack answered.

"Hay? Is that a type of fabric?" asked Sassy.

Applejack answered again. "No, it's for feeding the animals. And sometimes, it's also the animals like to take a-"

Rarity immediately cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "OK, that's enough of that!" she said.

Sassy got a wiff of the air and did not like what she smelled. "Ew, what is that smell?" she asked.

"That is what Rarity was cutting me off about. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," said Applejack.

Sassy turned to exit the barn when suddenly, she felt something on her hoof. She looked and discovered to her horror what she had stepped in and fainted.

Back in the barnhouse, Big Mac threw a bucket of water on Sassy to wake her up.

"Oh! Ugh! This outfit isn't supposed to get wet! I had the most terrible dream, I was in a barn and then I stepped in something," Sassy said before Applejack cut her off.

"Uh...that wasn't a dream, but don't worry, I cleaned it off," Applejack said.

Just then, a bell sound was heard throughout the barn. Then Granny Smith rushed to the barnhouse. "Baton down the hatches! We got a vampire fruit bat infestation a-comin!" she shouted.

"Ya'll know your positions! Move, move, move!" shouted Applejack.

Big Mac ran outside, took out a hay cart and attached himself to it.

"What's going on?" asked Sassy.

"It's those icky vampire fruit bats!" said Rarity.

"Bats?! Oh, disgusting!" said Sassy.

"We can talk about how 'icky' they are later, right now, I gotta move them back to their section of the farm!" said Applejack before she ran outside.

Once outside, Applejack jumped into the cart. Applebloom came in and tossed a hat with fruit on it to her sister and Applejack put it on just the a swarm of the bats flew in.

"Here they come!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac exclaimed.

The bats swarmed around Applejack and Big Mac as well as Rarity and Sassy, causing them to jump into the cart.

"Well looks like you two are coming along for the ride. Alright, Big Mac, let's do it!" said Applejack.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac exclaimed.

Along with Sassy and Rarity, Applejack and Big Mac led the fruit bats away from the barn. They made sure to ride in a zigzag pattern so the bats could not get to them, making Sassy and Rarity sick in the process.

"Bellowing bonnets," Sassy said, trying to hold back her vomit.

"Hold it in! We're almost there!" said Applejack.

Eventually, they arrived at the fruit bats section of the farm. After stopping the cart, Applejack jumped out and took off her hate. She then took an apple off of it and threw it over to the trees. The fruit bats followed.

Big Mac and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew! That takes care of them. I tell ya, if I had a bit for every apple them fruit bats could suck dry in one day alone, I could've sold the barn and become Filthy Rich's boss," said Applejack.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said.

Sassy and Rarity wobbled out of the cart, falling to the ground.

"Did somepony get the number on that cart?" Rarity said woozily.

"Fashion ponies," Applejack sighed.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said in agreement.

* * *

After gathering themselves, Sassy and Rarity said bye to the Apples and headed back into Ponyville.

"Well, that was fun," Rarity said sarcastically.

"I never want to see another cart for as long as I live," said Sassy.

So the search for Sassy's inspiration continued as she met some of the many residents of Ponyville; Berry Punch, who filled her up on berry juice; Derpy, whom she literally bumped into; and the CMCs who displayed many of their drawings to aid her.

"So, what do you think?" asked Rarity.

"Those were alright, I guess, but I still need something more, something...unpredictable," said Sassy.

"Hmmm, unpredictable you say?" Rarity said.

Suddenly, as if on cue, Pinkie jumped in, blowing a party horn in Rarity and Sassy's faces while hanging upside down. "Hi, Rarity, hi Sassy! What's the biz?" she asked.

"Oh um hello. Uh...who is she?" Sassy asked Rarity.

A smile came on Rarity's face as she introduced her friend to Sassy. "Sassy Saddles, meet Pinkie Pie. If you want unpredictable, I can guarantee you, she can provide it to you," she whispered.

"I sure can," Pinkie whispered.

Sassy and Rarity jumped in shock, unbeknown that Pinkie was listening in on them.

"See?" said Rarity.

* * *

Sassy and Rarity followed Pinkie Pie to Sugarcube Corner.

"You girls caught me at a great time! I was working on my double, triple, quadruple, berry surprise cake!" Pinkie said tossing out her ingredients.

"Watch yourself, the last time Pinkie had a surprise, it was a measuring spoon in a batch of pancakes," Rarity said to Sassy.

"Relax, it's not like that this time. It's an even better surprise! A bigger surprise! In fact, it's such a big surprise, even I don't know what it is!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"That's...definitely a surprise alright," said Sassy.

"You wanna help?" Pinkie asked Sassy.

"Oh, I don't really...cook," said Sassy.

"Bake, and it's easy! You'll love it!" Pinkie corrected before she placed a chef's hat on Sassy's head.

"Well I'll just leave you two to it then. Have fun," Rarity said before she walked off.

Pinkie went through the recipe to Sassy; a cup of flour, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of yeast, a teaspoon of butter, two cups of berries, three eggs, a dash of vanilla, then toss it in the oven and bake.

"Easy as cake! Or in this case, TEN CAKES!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Sound simple enough, I mean, how hard can cooking be?" Sassy said with a shrug.

"Baking," Pinkie corrected again, but more sternly.

So the two began baking the cake. Pinkie worked on one layer of the cake while Sassy worked on another.

"OK, so...a cup of flour?" Sassy pondered.

She looked around and found a teacup and poured a bunch of flour into it.

"A teaspoon of butter," she said to herself before she took a teaspoon and scooped a big wad of butter with it, putting it into the mixture.

Next was a pinch of salt. She tried to pinch it, but had trouble, eventually dropping a lot of salt into the mixture.

The next ingredient was a dash of vanilla. "Does she mean to dash the vanilla?" she wondered. With that, she just shook large drops of it.

Next was three eggs which she just dropped into the mixture without cracking.

"My, ponies sure have an odd way of cooking," she said.

"Baking," Pinkie corrected again, even more sternly, not noticing what Sassy was doing.

Next ingredient was a tablespoon of yeast.

Sassy looked around and noticed a big wooden spoon. "Well this is a spoon and it's on a table, so this must be it!" she said before she took the spoon and scooped up a bunch of yeast and put it into the mixture.

Finally, she took the teacup and scooped up the berries twice and put it into the mixture, thinking that's what the recipe meant and then mixed up everything.

"All done!" Pinkie said.

"As am I," said Sassy.

With that, Sassy and Pinkie put their mixtures into the oven.

"Well, I must say, cooking is not as hard as it seems," said Sassy.

Her saying that again was the final straw for Pinkie. "Baking, baking, baking, it's BAKING! Frys cook, eggs cook when you put them out in the hot sun, chefs cook, but when dealing with cakes, pastries, cupcakes, and other confectionary items, it is called baking! And baking is first and foremost, an ART!" she shouted.

Just as Pinkie was ranting to Sassy, the batter in the oven was overflowing until it exploded, covering the inside and outside of Sugarcube Corner in batter.

Pinkie and Sassy popped out of the batter as well as Pound and Pumpkin.

"Oh! That's the surprise! Pound and Pumpkin!" Pinkie said before eating the batter.


	3. A Sassy Touch Part 3

It took some time, but eventually, Sassy was able to get all the batter off of her outfit as she and Rarity made their way through Ponyville.

"Floundering fabrics! Who knew cooking was such messy work?" said Sassy.

"BAKING!" Pinkie yelled from afar.

"Anyway, maybe I should just back to Canterlot and call it a day," Sassy said.

Just then, Sassy was stopped in her tracks by strange sounds and asked Rarity where it was coming from.

"It's coming from there. The Everfree forest," Rarity said pointing to the forest.

"Everfree? Does that mean it never costs any bits? I didn't know you could buy a forest," Sassy asked.

"No, darling, that's just a name. But the forest itself is utterly terrifying. There's timberwolves and all kinds of strange creatures and plants," said Rarity.

"Really? Strange, you say?" Sassy pondered before began walking towards the forest.

"Wait! Sassy! What are you doing?!" Rarity asked.

"This could have just the inspiration I need," Sassy answered.

With a gulp, Rarity followed Sassy into the forest.

* * *

The forest got darker as the two ponies went further and further.

"I haven't been in too many forests, but are all of them this scary?" asked Sassy.

The two ponies walked further into the forest, getting scared by things like scary trees, getting tangled in branches, and hearing all sorts of noises.

"OK, I think we're just about done here," said Rarity.

"I think you're right," said Sassy.

Suddenly, the two smelled a rather unpleasant stench which Rarity immediately recognized, causing her to tremble in fear.

"Oh no," Rarity said.

"What is it, Rarity?" asked Sassy.

The two ponies turned around to find two timberwolves eying them with malicious intent.

"Ahem, Sassy, these are timberwolves," Rarity said casually. "The most dangerous creatures in the Everfree forest. Timberwolves, this is Sassy Saddles, the manager of my boutique in Canterlot. Now that the introductions are out of the way...RUN!"

And with that, Sassy and Rarity fled for their lives with the timberwolves in pursuit.

"Not so fast, Rarity! These hoofs weren't made for running," Sassy said, panting.

"Well you better make them for running unless you want to end up a timberwolves delicacy!" said Rarity.

The chase continued and Rarity and Sassy came close on two occasions to getting caught before climbing up a tree.

"If there's one thing I hate more than fall colors in the winter, it's heights," said Sass.

Just then, the branch they were on broke, sending them crashing to the ground, rolling. Sassy became separated and the two timberwolves closed in on Rarity.

Suddenly, the two timberwolves exploded in clouds of magic, much to Rarity's confusion. She turned to see a figure emerging from the trees. It was Zecora.

"Oh! Zecora! It's you," said Rarity.

"Those timberwolves are a frightening sight, you surely don't want to meet them in a fight," said Zecora.

"Thank you, I thought me and Sassy were goners," said Rarity.

"Think nothing of it, it was the least I could do, but you mentioned one named 'Sassy,' may I ask who?" asked Zecora.

"Oh, Sassy's my friend, she was with a second ago when we were attacked by the timberwolves, but she disappeared," said Rarity.

"We must find your friend if she is lost, for being stranded in this forest would a terrible cost," said Zecora.

So Rarity and Zecora went searching for Sassy, but they didn't have to search long as Rarity heard Sassy's voice nearby, calling out to her.

"She's over here," said Rarity.

Zecora and Rarity followed the sound of Sassy's voice and eventually found her, but were stunned in shock by what they had seen.

"Oh, Rarity, there you are!" Sassy exclaimed with relief. "Who is she? And why are you looking at me like that? And why are you so far down?"

Bringing her head back even more, Sassy realized what Rarity and Zecora were staring at; her neck had stretched out long like a giraffe. Sassy let out a loud scream that could be heard throughout the forest and Ponyville.

"What has happened to her?!" Rarity asked Zecora.

"From what I can deduce and concur, the poison joke has affected her," said Zecora.

And in fact, Zecora was right, for right behind Sassy stood the blue flowers that once affected Rarity and her friends.

"We have to get her to your house immediately!" said Rarity.

"Yes and please hurry! I can't wear designer turtlenecks with this!" Sassy said.

* * *

Along with Rarity, Zecora took Sassy to her tree house and gave her a bath which cured her.

Sassy was relieved.

"Oh, thank you! How can I ever repay you?" asked Sassy.

"It was the least I could do, you see, for I am willing to help any friend of Rarity," said Zecora.

Sassy looked at Zecora slightly confused. "Well...um...thank you again," she said.

Zecora bowed her head before turning to her cauldron, mixing in ingredients. Sassy turned to Rarity and asked her what she was doing.

"Oh, she's just whipping up another one of her potions. It's kind of what she does," said Rarity.

"Not a potion I am making today, it is something unusual and out of my way," said Zecora.

"What are you making?" asked Sassy.

"It's something that I don't normally do, for I am trying to make a kind of...shampoo," said Zecora.

"Shampoo?! Oh! May I help?!" Sassy exclaimed.

"You may help test it if you please, but if I don't do so well, do not tease," said Zecora.

"Well I must say, I would've never fancied you as a shampoo girl, Zecora," said Rarity.

"It's nice to try something new once in a while, and I wouldn't mind improving my hair style," said Zecora.

Sassy took a seat as Zecora placed her newly made 'shampoo' in a bottle, then closed her eyes as she proceeded to pour it on her head.

Rarity was a bit weary to say the least.

After a green puff of smoke, Sassy opened her eyes to see Rarity completely frozen.

"Oh! What did you do to my hair?! Is it amazing?!" Sassy asked Zecora.

"It is amazing, this is true, though it may not be the style for you," said Zecora.

Zecora held a mirror up to Sassy's face and Sassy screamed in horror to discover that her head had been turned into a bunch of hissing snakes.

"AHHH! SNAKES! GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF!" Sassy screamed, running around the hut.

Zecora quickly added some other ingredients to her 'shampoo,' and held Sassy in place.

"Fear not, that first one wasn't right, but this will surely make your night," said Zecora before she poured the 'shampoo' on Sassy's head.

After another puff of smoke, Zecora held the mirror up to Sassy's head again.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she now had a garden of leaves and flowers on her head. She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's much better," she said.

"And the arrangement is quite elegant, I must say," said Rarity.

But their approval soon turned to terror as a Venus flytrap sprung out of the flowers and chomped at Rarity, Sassy, and Zecora.

Sassy wriggled on the floor, trying to avoid getting eaten as Zecora poured a new potion on her, making the plant disappear, again to Sassy's relief. However, soon after, Sassy was covered from head to hoof in orange hair, much to Rarity and Zecora's shock.

"I am covered in hair," Sassy said subtly.

Zecora poured another potion on her which made the hair disappear, leaving only a mustache.

Rarity held back a chuckle before the mustache fell off.

"That last one wasn't my best, but I have more ingredients that I can test," said Zecora.

The very thought of what else Zecora could do to her hair made Sassy tremble in fear. "Well um...we'd love to stay, but Rarity and I have so much to do and so little time, well bye bye!" She said before she put Rarity on her back and frantically exited out.

* * *

Having enough excitement, Sassy decided it was time for her and Rarity to head back to Canterlot, returning to the boutique.

"I may never look at a plant the same way again. Though admittedly, the experience may have helped me find what I've been looking for," said Sassy.

"You mean you found your inspiration?" Rarity asked with enthusiastic curiosity.

"Yes! I believe I have! And I don't want to spoil anything, so come back in about three days. I think you'll be amazed by what I create!" Sassy exclaimed.


	4. A Sassy Touch Part 4

Three days later, a large crowd was gathered at Canterlot Carousel, including photographers and fashion critics alike.

From the backroom, Sassy sweated bullets as Rarity let more and more ponies in. This was the first time she would show her designs to anypony and she feared what they might think, but she also realized she had to keep a calm and cool composure.

Though that might've been proven to be easier said than done as the last pony to enter the boutique was none other than Zesty Gourmand, much to Rarity's surprise.

"Zesty?! What are you doing here?!" Rarity asked.

"I saw you leading these ponies into your 'boutique' and I was rather curious," said Zesty.

"Hmph! Well, I'll have you know that this fashion display is from a friend of mine, Sassy Saddles," said Rarity.

"Oh, yes, the failed boutique manager. The fact that Sassy would even consider a career in fashion after failing as a manager is rather amusing. How she was able to keep this boutique running is a mystery to me. Still, this should be very interesting," Zesty said with a smug smile.

"Yes it will. It'll be interesting to see the look on your face when Sassy presents an armada of fashion the likes of which you've never seen!" Rarity said, defending her friend.

"I highly doubt that. I may not be an expert at fashion, but even I'm smart enough to know who should be designing and who should not. You, somewhat; Sassy Saddles; definitely not," Zesty said before walking off with her nose up.

Rarity growled at Zesty behind her back.

* * *

The time had almost come. Rarity met with Sassy in the backroom looking at her covered up dresses and gave her a tap on the shoulder which made her jump.

"Oh! It's you, Rarity!" Sassy said, catching her breath.

"Sassy, dear, don't be so nervous," Rarity said, putting a hoof on Sassy's shoulder.

"Oh! I can't help it! In just a few moments, I expose my designs to all of Canterlot and I'm not sure that I'm ready," Sassy said, walking up and looking out the door, seeing the dozens of ponies, including Zesty which made her even more nervous.

Rarity walked over to Sassy to comfort her. "Don't worry about Zesty. Just go out there and do your best," she said.

"You're right. Thank you, Rarity. I couldn't have done this without you," said Sassy.

"I'm only happy to help. That's what friends do," said Rarity.

After sharing a hug with Sassy, Rarity exited the backroom and onto the stage as Sassy prepared her presentation.

"Ponies and gentlecolts...and Zesty, welcome to a very special presentation here at Canterlot Carousel. It has been my pleasure to dazzle you with my exquisite fashion designs, but today, Sassy Saddles, the manager of this fine boutique, will be presenting her own unique designs for you to enjoy. So without any further ado, may I present, Ms. Sassy Saddles," said Rarity.

The audience clapped their hoofs as Sassy made her way onstage with her designs, save for Zesty who just sneered.

"Um...thank you. Now, finding the inspiration for these designs wasn't easy. I had to search all over Canterlot and Ponyville, but I was able to create the most stunning, the most fantastic, the most breathtaking, artistic fashion ever!" Sassy said before pointing to Rarity.

On cue, Rarity turned off the lights and turned on a series of sparkling lights.

Sassy revealed her first design to the crowd and Rarity put a spotlight on it.

This dress was puffy, had orange and dark orange colors, and had the food from the Tasty Treat imprinted on it.

"This number was inspired by my visit to a lovely place called the Tasty Treat that the most marvelous food," said Sassy.

The second dress was shaped like an apple and came with cowpony boots and a hat that was shaped like a barn.

"This next one is inspired by the simple country life of the Apples on Sweet Apple Acres," said Sassy.

The third dress was decorated with candies and cupcakes and had shoes that were shaped like wisks.

"For this, I went a 'sweet' approach from my time at Sugarcube Corner," said Sassy.

And the final dress had black and white stripes, a potion bottle on each of its shoulders, green leaves on its sleeves, and black and white shoes with potion bottles on them.

"And for this last one, I wanted to look between the *ahem* stripes. And for an extra kick I added these bubbling potions," said Sassy.

The crowd was left speechless by these dresses.

Sassy waited for a response, but got nothing, until Zesty burst out in laughter. The crowd followed soon after.

Their laughter hit Sassy harder than any bobbing pin could. She slumped her head down in shame.

"Those are the most hideous looking clothes I have ever seen!" Zesty belted out.

"Are those supposed to be dresses or tacky looking hot air balloons!?" said another pony.

"I guess I'm not meant to be a fashion designer after all," Sassy said to herself, before turning away.

"I'm not surprised. I mean what would you expect from a pony who can barely run a boutique? What in Equestria would make her think she could do fashion?" said Zesty.

The crowd laughed in agreement with Zesty's words.

As Sassy was making her way to the backroom, Rarity stepped in.

"That's enough!" she shouted. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves! I mean yes, they are the ugliest looking dresses in all of Equestria, but at least Sassy tried. I doubt any of you would even have the guts to try something you weren't sure you would be good at. But Sassy did and I am proud of her for it and her dresses!"

Sassy was moved by Rarity's words and wiping a tear from her eye, she made her way back on stage. "Rarity's right! I made these dresses all by myself and I'm proud of them, no matter what anypony thinks," she said.

Zesty just scoffed at the two ponies, but surprisingly, the other ponies began to applaud for them.

"What? What are you all doing?! Why are you applauding?! Her dresses were terrible!" said Zesty.

"Yes, but she shows pride in her work and that is most admirable," said one pony.

Sassy took a bow to the applauding crowd.

Zesty meanwhile stormed out of the boutique in a huff.

* * *

Later on in the day, it was near closing time for the boutique.

Rarity stopped again before heading back to Ponyville, approaching Sassy at the counter. "Well look who it is. Canterlot's newest fashionista!" she teased.

"Oh stop it," Sassy giggled.

"Well with that marvelous applause you got yesterday, I think I might have some competition," Rarity teased again.

The two shared a laugh.

"Thank you for standing up for me, Rarity. Though, I think we can both agree that I'm not meant to be a designer. That's who YOU are, Rarity. I'm better off being a manager," said Sassy.

"Well, I won't lie, those dresses were um, *ahem* pretty terrible," Rarity said in her voice.

"Well, at least I was able to try. Better once than never, right?" Sassy said.

"Right," said Rarity.

The two shared a hug.

"Although, I did rather enjoy making those cakes in Ponyville," said Sassy.

"Really? Well who knows? If things don't work out for you as a manager, I suppose you could try a career in cooking," said Rarity.

"Baking, Rarity, Baking," Sassy said with a wink.

"THANK YOU!" Pinkie yelled from afar.

And with that, Sassy and Rarity shared a laugh.


End file.
